Wacom for Beginners - Advice Please

RenVilo on 04/10/2023 - 01:58

So my kid is 11 and he is really good in drawing and animation using blender and maybe other tools. He is using his ipad to draw and looking to get him a waccom. I know nothing about these and hoping someone has some knowledge on these types of units.

I was thinking of the Wacom Cintiq 16 creative pen display and its $999 at the moment. Don't mind getting this for his bday but if he ends up not using it its an expensive thing to just have around.

I see the waccom one create pen display (gen 1) is only $400.

What would be a good entry level one but still give him the features that he might want? Or even another brand? Or should i just go with the cintiq 16

Computing Wacom

Comments

  • holdenmg on 04/10/2023 - 05:26
    +3

    Hi,
    You can get student pricing @
    https://estore.wacom.com/en-au/education

  • dri on 04/10/2023 - 05:31
    +3

    Hey Ren,

    I would get him a bigger screen for workflow. XP-PEN Artist 22 (2nd Generation) Drawing Monitor Digital Drawing Tablet with Screen 21.5 Inch Graphics Display $680 but if u have Amazon prime $510

    https://www.amazon.com.au/Generation-Drawing-Monitor-Digital…

    He needs more real estate but that depends on the space you have. It will take up a lot of the desk.

    Wacom is brilliant as a input device but it's very niche. Let him learn on what he wants in future. The ipad's going to have procreate for animation. Ipads are just more fun to use because you can go anywhere.

    If he's using Blender, get him to learn Maya which is the industry standard in 3d animation. Autodesk may let him use it for free with student licensing. I know he's 11 but young minds are like a sponge.

    Don't get the Wacom One.

    You are always going to lose money on resale value for graphics tablets. I feel the xp pen is a fine intro. Sure, he can use the 16" wacom cintiq, but for the purpose of drawing and being tethered to the desk he'd be happy with it.

    Importantly, what's his pc system? That's also integral to what programs he's running. You'll need to beef it up periodically down the track.

    You're a good Dad. Best of luck with hopefully is a great artistic journey for your son.

    • RenVilo on 04/10/2023 - 09:20
      +1

      Hi man, yeah he has a nice enough PC and once he tells me it's not fast enough I'll upgrade it. Its a 5600x, 32gb DDR4, 2TB SSD, 2x 27" but still a RX 580 so that's the first thing I'll change but so far there's no issues with what he's using. Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

      • dri on 05/10/2023 - 06:55
        +1

        No worries, man. I wish someone gave me this advice when I was younger. Kids have a lot to mess around with and youtube has a lot of learning resources. I recently bought a Ryzen 9 and that has integrated graphics. Whatever you do, if your son is getting into 3d, don't get amd with integrated graphics. Causes issues with Maya and he'll be definitely using that in future.

  • dri on 04/10/2023 - 05:38

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS1fUP_W7c4

    It is just the screen, with the full tilt angles. Screen is big but only HD resolution 1920 x 1080. That's what brings the price lower compared to the 4k screens. It also doesn't have the hand touch input.

  • sumyungguy on 04/10/2023 - 08:24
    -1

    Is he already drawing with an Apple Pencil? Many pros use iPad + Pencil

    • dri on 04/10/2023 - 08:53
      +1

      He is using the program Blender. Ipads are limited to ipad apps. Kind of a moot point if he's using an Apple pencil or not. ipads are a good companion piece though.

      • CrowReally on 04/10/2023 - 09:03

        Procreate is top tier iPad exclusive drawing software and they're about to drop a (2d) animation package under the same masthead on it, so don't give up on that iPad just yet!

        • dri on 05/10/2023 - 06:48
          -1

          Hey, mate. I'm very familiar with iPad. Did this on it. https://imgur.com/QCli4tl

          Firstly, his son uses Blender which is 3d based.He's honestly best getting used to graphic display tablets because then all he needs to do over time is upgrade his pc if he is rendering 3d. So that's when graphic cards come into play.

          I didn't suggest a Microsoft surface pro either also because of budget.

      • sumyungguy on 04/10/2023 - 09:09
        +1

        I know a designer who uses Blender with Astropad Studio

        • dri on 05/10/2023 - 12:01

          Yeh, thanks for correcting me because that is one of the workarounds to using Blender. I saw that with Duets you pay $7 US a month. Astropad is a little more. Paying $84 US a year when you don't need to might not be for some people. Sure, we pay $5 for a daily coffee, but aren't we better off choosing alternatives where we aren't paying subscriptions?

          Anyhow, working with 3d you need a larger display to see the 3d objects fully. Whether you are modelling, uv unwrapping and animating.

  • Stopback on 04/10/2023 - 08:59
    -2

    Get him to learn ai.

    Stable diffusion

    • RenVilo on 04/10/2023 - 09:22
      +1

      If I was his age I would have done AI but he's more creative and loves making his own stuff.

  • art-fanatic on 04/10/2023 - 09:40

    I have this Wacom One. It is definitely a beginner device, however, it is not very expensive so great opportunity to try it out.

  • dtc on 04/10/2023 - 09:42
    +2

    My daughter went through all of this (and is currently studying fine arts at uni) and ended up using her ipad for all her work and so do pretty much all her classmates. She had a wacom tablet but it never clicked with her as she didnt like the UI (but it was one of the smaller ones)

    I dont think a wacom - as good as they are - offers that much more than an ipad. Yes its probably beneficial at the top few percent if you get one of the expensive large screen ones but (as good as he is) your son isnt in that top 5% at the moment. If you get one of the big wacom tablets then it has benefits - the bigger screen is more useful for work, but you then cant realistically use it other than at a desk. Ipad you can use in the car, take it to school and whatever

    Perhaps buy a cord so he can connect the ipad to a monitor and/or get an ipad pro. As others have said, the ipad is a much more versatile product and many professionals use it

  • AustriaBargain on 04/10/2023 - 11:12
    +1

    Still encourage using the iPad as well, mastering drawing on glass is a valuable skill. Drawing on the plastic graphics tablet is easy, glass takes a bit more time to pick up the knack.

    Also doesn't need to be Wacom branded, the cheap ones on Amazon work fine. HUOIN is popular but there are others, I bought some brand on a deal earlier this year and it works good.

  • plmko on 04/10/2023 - 12:55

    Having used it all: Wacom, iPad Pro, Samsung tablet

    Samsung tablets mirroring a PC is hands down the best. Not locked down to any software and it scales to whatever you use.

  • Thiefsie on 04/10/2023 - 14:13

    Stick with iPad pro ecosystem.

    Wacom's niche pricing isn't worth it unless you are a working pro. The software is probably moving moving in the app direction as the iPad is what the artists (and all emerging especially) are moving towards.

    Get a paper-like screen protector to help the feel and you're golden.

    With Wacom you're stuck to a PC and all that that entails, good for ZBrush, Blender etc. But ultra niche. The iPad is a bit worse-off in the software regard, but much more usable in virtually every other way, even resale, and of course just a fantastic device in use otherwise.

    Any 'desktop' software worth using can import the required drawings from an iPad, as they are simply so ubiquitus, tested, preferred, (and good!).

    Probably the best middle ground otherwise is a Surface Pro, but that doesn't have the juice you'd want from a desktop.
    At least you could use Blender fairly easily (performance-dependent) on it.

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